For me, artistic success is not measured by universal approval. It’s measured by whether the band continues to explore its own vision honestly. We are not looking for acceptance. We want authenticity. I would rather create something divisive than something approved by all. — Die (DIR EN GREY)
DIR EN GREY has always occupied a landscape entirely of its own making. For nearly three decades, the band has actively resisted trends and easy categorization, choosing instead a path of constant, sometimes jarring transformation. They proved this yet again this past spring. Fresh off their TOUR26 Downer Absolutely No One run in late May, the band made it clear that MORTAL DOWNER is far more than just another release. Four years after the heavy, labyrinthine weight of PHALARIS, this twelfth studio album draws its strength from something surprisingly direct. Instead of burying its intentions under layers of conceptual complexity, MORTAL DOWNER feels grounded, carrying the confidence of a band that answers to no one.
When we sat down with guitarist Die, exactly a month ahead of DIR EN GREY’s upcoming two-night stand at Tokyo Garden Theater (July 2026), our conversation moved past standard promotional talking points. We talked about the creative anxiety that shapes a record, the friction between artistic truth and public approval, and how these new tracks are already mutating on stage. What surprised most was the contrast between the band’s notorious sonic violence and Die’s personal demeanor. He continually circled back to a few core philosophies: staying open to change, trusting the gut, and letting the music evolve on its own terms.
From how national and global traumas shaped albums like DUM SPIRO SPERO and PHALARIS, to the validation of identity it has led them to with MORTAL DOWNER, to the unexpectedly hilarious origin story behind the phrase “Big Gurl” Die doesn’t sound like a veteran musician carefully curating a legacy. Thirty years in, he sounds like someone who is still just getting started.
——Hi Die, it is nice to see you again.
First of all, congratulations on the new album and the tour that just wrapped up. Now that this intense creative cycle has finally come to an end, what kind of emotional headspace are you finding yourself in?
Die: Thank you for having me. Right now, having finally released the album and closed out this first tour, there is this profound, almost indescribable sense of good energy. It feels as though we’ve firmly grasped the beginning of a completely new world for DIR EN GREY, one that is going to continue unfolding for a long time. The tour gave us confidence in where the band is headed. It’s simply the opening of a new chapter. This tour wasn’t a conclusion or a final destination. I feel like it was the confirmation that this new phase of DIR EN GREY is fully alive, and honestly, I’m just eager to see where it takes us next. I am looking forward to what future holds.
——You seem to have a strong “keep-moving-forward” mindset.
I’m curious about how you felt tracking the reactions from the fans and the media. From your perspective, did you feel that sense of success and fulfillment?
Die: There were both positive and negative reactions, but to us, that’s entirely natural. What we’re trying to do with our music is push ourselves further and further into deeper, uncharted territory, so a certain amount of pushback is inevitable. Honestly, I think having those negative reactions is a good thing. It’s actually better when both exist side-by-side. If everyone universally likes a piece of work, that’s usually a bad sign. I’m completely comfortable with criticism because resistance has real value. If nobody objects to what you are doing, it probably means the work has become too safe. For me, artistic success is not measured by universal approval. It’s measured by whether the band continues to explore its own vision honestly. We are not looking g for acceptance. We want authenticity. I would rather create something divisive than something approved by all.
——That’s a very good perspective. Art loses its edge the moment it exists solely to be liked or approved. Along those lines, during the recording process, a song belongs entirely to the five of you. But once it is released into the world, does the audience’s reaction alter how you personally view the music? Did you feel like these new songs shifted in meaning over the course of the tour?
Die: I don’t really hear direct feedback from fans very often but I could clearly feel how long they had been waiting for this new material. As we repeated the live shows, the energy of the crowd, the way they moved and reacted to the music, became incredible. That is where the real shift happens. You’re exactly right; it’s the act of performing the songs live that changes them. As we continue to play them night after night, the tracks begin to take on a life of their own, moving in directions we never could have anticipated in the studio. Sometimes we discover entirely new dimensions to a song that we didn’t even realize were there when we recorded it. We truly enjoy watching those transformations happen. I’ve never viewed a song as a fixed, final object. Even after the recording is finished, I still consider it somehow incomplete. A song only continues to reveal its true self through performance, I think. The best things happen when you stop trying to force a specific outcome and simply trust the transformation process.
——So, the live stage becomes a place of discovery rather than execution.
If you had to choose one song that serves as the core of the album, which would it be? And as a guitarist, which song best represents you personally? They can certainly be the same song.
Die: If we’re talking about the core of the album, I’d have to say “MOBS.” It’s the track that best encapsulates the current world of DIR EN GREY. The exact moment that song was introduced, I felt like the entire record instantly snapped into focus. It tightened our sound and completed the overall atmosphere we were chasing. I think, it’s a track that absolutely no one else could create. It completely ignores standard structures and conventional arrangements. It leans into that dense, murky atmosphere that is entirely unique to this band. For me, the true value of a song isn’t about trying to make it conventionally impressive; it’s about making it unmistakably DIR EN GREY. There is an incredibly special feeling when you can listen to a track and confidently say: “No one else on Earth could have made this”.
As for the song that represents me most as a guitarist, I’d say the final track “no end”. That’s where I feel most like myself, if I had to say so. I was involved with that song from the very earliest idea stage, and I was the one leading the flow of the song and the atmosphere it was trying to create. So, it’s not really about the guitar itself. It’s more about the overall world of the song, its progression, atmosphere and the kind of sensibility I bring to the music. In DIR EN GREY each member brings something different, but that song started with my color more strongly than most. So, if I had to choose a song that feels most like me, it would probably be that one.
——You really seen to value uniqueness and authenticity.
Die: I guess so.
——This next question looks at the macro-level history of the band. Around the time of the 2011 earthquake, DIR EN GREY was creating DUM SPIRO SPERO. During the peak of COVID era, you were creating PHALARIS. Both albums felt heavy and complex. By contrast, ARCHE and MORTAL DOWNER feel more direct and stripped. Looking back, do you think each album reflects the atmosphere of its era?
Die: I believe they do, yes. When the earthquake happened in 2011, I honestly wondered whether we should even be making this kind of music. Society was going through an existential uncertainty. I wondered whether it was even appropriate for us to continue doing what we do. But ultimately, I realized that the thing we could do, the thing we should do, was continue creating music. During COVID, there was another uncertainty. At that time, I wondered whether concerts themselves might disappear. In that environment, creating an album felt like the only thing we could still do. The feelings we had during those periods, and the feelings of the members, are definitely reflected in those albums. After going through all of that, MORTAL DOWNER was created. The album was born from a completely different space. We gained a new kind of resilience by surviving those crises. So, we were able to create completely naturally, with our feet planted firmly on the ground. If I look back, I believe that each album reflects the atmosphere of its own era which was living within us. And, for MORTAL DOWNER, our mindset as a band was simply, “We know exactly who we are”. It is the very first album born after years of profound, existential uncertainty. The earlier records were created while actively questioning if we had a future. The album MORTAL DOWNER was built because we survived those questions.
——That is a nice way to frame the band’s history. It sounds like surviving those crises is exactly what solidified this current, unshakable sense of identity. Speaking of that identity, DIR EN GREY has always been defined by a distinctly dark, heavy worldview which much stems from the vocalist lyrical and artistic expression. As someone who has been there since the beginning, do you personally mirror that darkness, or do you approach Kyo’s worldview from a certain creative distance?
Die: That’s a difficult question (laughs). When Kyo writes lyrics, the ultimate truth of what those words mean belongs solely to him; there are things only he truly knows. The rest of us hear the lyrics and imagine what he’s expressing. We think, “Maybe this is what he’s trying to convey” or “Perhaps this is how he’s feeling.” But the definitive meaning remains his. As we perform the songs live, those meanings become more exposed, and Kyo’s lyrics and worldview naturally expand the songs. I don’t believe we should try to rigidly decode them. Instead, we should view his worldview as something to simply experience. The mystery of the meaning is part of the art. We don’t need to fully possess Kyo’s vision, it’s all about trust and shared experience. At the same time, while the lyrical core of DIR EN GREY belongs to Kyo, the band’s worldview as a whole does not belong to any single member alone. I think, the broader meaning of the music continues to evolve through our collective interpretation on stage, and it changes dynamically with the audience, too.
——That makes perfect sense, DIR EN GREY is the sum of its five distinct parts. Yet, even within that collective worldview, you maintain a very sharp personal aesthetic. What is most important to you today when it comes to stage costumes and your overall visual expression?
Die: Over the years, my visual approach has shifted quite a lot (laughs). There were eras where I just wore a T-shirt and jeans, and times when I didn’t wear any makeup at all. But as the band’s world grew deeper and more cinematic, our staging demands changed. The lighting, the production, the overall atmosphere, everything became much more intentional. Because of that, the outfit had to evolve to fit that elevated space. And I think, ultimately, the wardrobe is there to serve the music. A simple T-shirt and jeans just wouldn’t cut it anymore; it would break the spell. I naturally select my costumes based on the specific world DIR EN GREY is constructing for a particular tour. At our core, we are trying to create an experience that completely detaches from everyday reality. That is something I am hyper-conscious of on stage. When fans come to see us live, they should step into a space they could never encounter in their ordinary lives. The stage needs to feel fundamentally detached from the mundane.
——So, just as songs should become something larger than themselves, the performer should become something larger than the ordinary self.
Die: Yes, exactly that.
——Building on that, I’ve always felt that your visual expression deliberately blurs conventional gender boundaries. Is that an androgynous aesthetic you are consciously committed to exploring?
Die: Personally, I think it’s far more important to present something that doesn’t feel entirely human. Or at least, not an ordinary human being. That is the core of what we need to deliver on stage: something people don’t normally encounter in their day-to-day lives. That is what I am truly conscious of. I’ve never framed my visual expression through the lens of gender. For me, the objective is never about trying to appear more masculine or more feminine. The goal is simply to appear less ordinary, less bound by the rules of everyday reality. I am not necessarily trying to erase the boundaries between masculine and feminine. I am far more interested in erasing the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
——So, you want the audience to see something they cannot encounter in daily life. But then, you often use the phrase “Big Gurl” on Instagram. Where did that nickname come from?
Die (bursts into laughter): It came from a moment of pure silliness. It actually started with a staff member who tried to translate a specific Japanese phrase into English (laughs). When I heard their translation, I just thought, “Oh, so that’s how you say it? That’s hilarious,” and I just started using it (laughs).
——What was the original phrase?
Die: Dekai-channe [デカイチャンネー] (laughs). A big woman (laughs). Nothing very deep. Just an inside joke (laughs).
——The mystery is finally solved, “Big Gurl” (laughs).
Let’s pivot back to a more serious milestone. Next year marks DIR EN GREY’s 30th anniversary. Huge congratulations. Over these three decades, you have lived a life that most people could never even fathom. Looking back, what do you feel you’ve gained from this path? Is there anything that quietly fell away along the way?
Die: When we first started the band, I never could have imagined we’d still be doing this thirty years later. Looking back, our history has really just been a matter of pouring ourselves into one album, preparing for the tour that followed, and then instantly repeating the cycle. I’ve always just focused on whatever was directly in front of my face. That is how all this time passed. I never once sat down and thought, “Let’s try to keep this band going for as long as humanly possible.” Even right now, my mindset is exactly the same. I just focus entirely on each piece of work, each individual live performance, and keep moving forward. If I had to sum up our longevity, that’s really all there is to it. We didn’t arrive at this 30-year milestone because of some grand master plan. We arrived here simply because we kept executing the very next step. That is a very different philosophy from just ambition. It’s closer to commitment. I didn’t spend thirty years chasing some future version of myself; I just stayed entirely present in the room. Our longevity was never the goal, it was simply the consequence.
——Just keeping at it without a big design, then. Thirty years of living at a rhythm so radically different from the rest of the world. What did this specific way of living give you that nothing else could and looking back, what do you find has quietly slipped away?
Die: Well, like I said when we first started, I never thought we’d keep going this long. It was always just a matter of facing whatever was directly in front of us, one step at a time. That’s really how all this time slipped by. I never set out with the goal of longevity, and that remains true today. To be honest, this lifestyle has just become completely normal to me; I’ve just become so accustomed to it over the decades. It’s too familiar, too normal. Because of that, I don’t really feel a strong sense of being different from anyone else anymore. I don’t even experience that hard boundary between a “normal life” and an “artist’s life.” It’s just my life.
——That’s interesting, on stage, you talk about creating something beyond everyday life, something people cannot experience normally, something almost non-human. And yet, when you talk about himself, your life, your career, you bring everything back down to earth.
Die: Do I (laughs)?
——If the version of you from 30 years ago, just starting out, could see you now, what do you think he would feel? And what would you say to him?
Die (laughs): Oh, I think he’d just be incredibly surprised that my hair got this long (laughs).
——I wasn’t expecting that (laughs). It indeed got very long.
To wrap up this interview on a light note, let’s do a little game. Answer this or that without thinking.
Live or recording?
Die: Live!
——Electric Guitar or acoustic guitar?
Die: Hmm… Electric.
——Chords or melody?
Die: Chords.
——Speed or nuance?
Die: Hmm… Nuance.
——Writing alone or writing through sessions?
Die: I’ll go with sessions.
——Oh, interesting. Do you still jam together as a band?
Die: Well, these days we don’t really get together in a room and write songs anymore. Everyone works from their own home studio. Back in the day, we’d all meet in a studio, play together, and build songs while making noise in the same space. Nowadays, a lot of that process happens through computers. But both approaches have their strengths. Working on a computer allows you to carefully examine each individual note. On the other hand, when you’re all in a room playing together, you can really feel the rhythm and groove as it’s happening. So, I think both methods have their good points.
——Yes, both pros and cons.
Guitarist or performer?
Die: Guitarist.
——Thank you for this interview, Die. Before I let you go, what are you looking forward to most about the July shows? And what do you need right now to make them the ideal performances?
Die: Well, to be honest, I don’t think there’s any need to overthink it. What I’m looking forward to most is simply seeing how I move and react when I’m standing on that stage in a completely flat state.
——Could you expand on what you mean by “a flat state”?
Die: Sure! You can spend an immense amount of time planning every detail, thinking, “We’ll do this during this song” or “Let’s try that specific move during that track.” But when we stand on stage without those calculations, that’s when the unexpected happens. If you overanalyze everything, the performance becomes rigid and fixed. I’d much rather let the immediate atmosphere guide us; that’s the exact space where something entirely new can be born. By “flat“, I mean being unbiased, neutral, and completely free from preconceptions. It’s about performing without any emotional distortion.
——Is it difficult to reach that kind of mindset when all five members have different personalities, life circumstances and ways of thinking?
Die: Well, everyone has their own individual life. That’s true. Everyone thinks differently and everyone possesses their own distinct style. But when I talk about a flat state, it’s about reaching a point where you just exist on stage. We’ve played an astronomical number of shows over the decades. It’s no longer about standing backstage saying, “Alright, let’s go out there and do our absolute best!” The moment we step onto that stage, the switch simply flips on its own. We have a deep, mutual respect for one another, and once we are out there, everything fuses into the collective sound of the five of us. That’s really all it is. I suppose we’ve developed a natural instinct over thirty years: the moment our feet hit the stage, our minds open up, our heads clear, and the music takes over.
——Thank you, Die, for your time. There’s a lot of good insights.
Die: Thank you very much for yours and this interview.
Mandah FRÉNOT
(c) VMJ
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* [This interview was conducted in June 2026 ahead of DIR EN GREY’s two-night stand at Tokyo Garden Theatre]
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